Dr Gabriel da Silva

Current Research Activities

• Environmental Engineering
• Combustion and atmospheric chemistry
• Biofuels research
• Nitrosation reactions
• Materials and Minerals Engineering
• Bioleaching (biohydrometallurgy)

Dr da Silva’s research interests are broadly in the area of energy and the environment, using computational chemistry techniques and reaction rate theory to model complex reaction networks relevant to combustion and atmospheric chemistry, as well as environmentally important organic reaction mechanisms. The current research focus is directed toward understanding and modeling reaction processes related to the use of biofuels (ethanol, biodiesel, and biomass), allowing us to optimize their combustion and thereby support the uptake of these green, renewable energy-sources. Studies are also underway to model the formation and atmospheric reactions of pollutants like soot, persistent free radicals, and ozone depleting substances. A further area of interest is bioleaching, where naturally occurring bacteria are used to leach base and precious metals from sulphide minerals.

Professional Affiliations

• The Combustion Institute
• American Chemical Society

• Lecturer, The University of Melbourne, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, 2007 – present
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Chemistry and environmental Science, 2005 – 2007
• Engineering Research Assistant, BHP Billiton, Biohydrometallurgy Research Group, 2000 – 2002

Selected Recent Publications

1. G. da Silva, J. W. Bozzelli, "Retro-[3+2]-cycloaddition reactions in the decomposition of five-membered nitrogen-containing heterocycles", Journal of Organic Chemistry, 73, 2008, 1343-1353.
2. 2. G. da Silva, J. W. Bozzelli, "Thermochemistry, bond energies, and internal rotor potentials of dimethyl tetraoxide (CH3OOOOCH3)", Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 111, 2007, 12026-12036.
3. G. da Silva, C.-C. Chen, J. W. Bozzelli, "Toluene combustion: reaction paths, thermochemical properties and kinetic analysis for the methylphenyl + O2 reaction", Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 111, 2007, 8663-8676.
4. G. da Silva, J. W. Bozzelli, "Quantum chemical study of the thermal decomposition of ortho-quinone methide (6-methylene-2,4-cyclohexadiene-1-one)", Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 111, 2007, 7987-7994.
5. G. da Silva, B. Z. Dlugogorski, E. M. Kennedy, "Elementary reaction step model of the N-nitrosation of ammonia", International Journal of Chemical Kinetics, 39, 2007, 645-656.
6. G. da Silva, J. W. Bozzelli, L. Liang, J. T. Farrell, "Thermochemistry and kinetics of the alpha- and beta-hydroxyethyl radical + O2 reactions in ethanol combustion", 5th US Combustion Meeting, San Diego, United States, 25-28 March 2007.
7. G. da Silva, E. M. Kennedy, B. Z. Dlugogorski, "Ab initio procedure for aqueous-phase pKa calculation: the acidity of nitrous acid", Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 110, 2006, 11371-11376.
8. G. da Silva, C.-C. Chen, J. W. Bozzelli, "Bond dissociation energy of the phenol O-H bond from ab initio calculations", Chemical Physics Letters, 424, 2006, 42-45.
9. G. da Silva, B. Z. Dlugogorski, E. M. Kennedy, "Water-in-oil emulsion foaming by thiourea nitrosation: reaction and mass transfer", AIChE Journal, 52, 2006, 1558-1565.
10. G. da Silva, E. M. Kennedy, B. Z. Dlugogorski, "Effect of added nucleophilic species on the rate of primary amino acid nitrosation", Journal of the American Chemical Society, 127, 2005, 3664-3665.
11. G. da Silva, "Relative importance of diffusion and reaction control during the bacterial and ferric sulphate leaching of zinc sulphide", Hydrometallurgy, 73, 2004, 313-324.
12. G. da Silva, M. R. Lastra, J. R. Budden, "Electrochemical passivation of sphalerite during bacterial oxidation in the presence of galena", Minerals Engineering, 16, 2003, 199-203.

Patents

G. da Silva, B. Z. Dlugogorski, E. M. Kennedy, "Gassing of emulsion explosives with nitric oxide", International Patent, PCT/AU2006/001596, filed 26 October 2006.

G. da Silva, M. Rayson, B. Z. Dlugogorski, E. M. Kennedy, International Patent (provisional), filed 10 January 2007.